A Beatles photo auction featuring photos from the Beatles' first concert in America is set to take place at Christie's in New York, reports The AP.
Photographer Mike Mitchell captured the Fab Four in action as they gave their first U.S. concert in Washington, D.C.
Forty-seven years later, Mitchell has produced 50 prints from his negatives of the event on Feb. 11, 1964 at Washington Coliseum and of the band's Sept. 13, 1964 performance at the Baltimore Civic Center, The AP reports.
Mitchell laughs when he describes the scene at the indoor arena that night — not only of screaming fans but also of his unrestricted access to the stage.
In contrast to later concerts by the quartet, there weren’t any cordoned-off media pens nor tight security that night.
"It was a long time ago. Things weren't that way then," the 65-year-old said in a telephone interview from Washington, where he lives and works as an art photographer, The AP reports.
"It was as low-tech as the concert itself. The concert was in a sports venue and the sound system was the sound system of a sports venue."
Also worth noting is how few other photographs from that first concert exist.
Simeon Lipman, head of Christie's pop culture department, said Mitchell's black and white photographs were remarkable for their quality.
